Readers’ letters - January 30

Regarding the closure of some banks, I suppose it is another case of ‘use it or lose it’.

Internet banking is a godsend to criminals, who can now rob you from the comfort of their own homes, with no physical effort involved. They can even take over someone else’s computer to commit this crime. Cyber criminals are always two or three steps ahead of the game.

It seems Joe Public sleepwalked into using the internet with no idea of its many pitfalls.

The internet has also been a godsend to the likes of IS and other such groups.

How else would they be able to influence and convert such a large group of people with so little effort?

When I was young, I don’t remember any obese people. Could it be that people used to walk a lot more to places like banks, shops etc and not sit on their posteriors doing things online? During recent times, I have seen a great number of fitness centres opening. I wonder if the users of such places ever feel duped. Well, you’re paying out money to use the centre because you spent money on new technology in order to do less walking and physical activity in general, and you’re also paying for the electrical power to run it.

Don Webb

Address supplied

brexit

Still waiting for change

Just what is it that our Establishment politicians don’t understand about democracy? Last year Parliament voted by a ratio of 4 - 1 in favour of an in-out EU referendum, with the then Prime Minister promising to abide by the result, whichever way that it went!

During the last seven months we have constantly heard from those elements of the Remain side – who do not and will not accept the will of the people – how damaging it will be for us if we leave the single market, this despite our economy thriving and countries queueing up to strike trade deals with us.

Labour, the Lib Dems, SNP, Greens and many Tories are doing their best to frustrate or even reverse the democratic outcome, with the Lib Dems wanting a second referendum – which is exactly what the EU always does when it gets the wrong result. It is time that political parties listened to the electorate and acted to what they have been instructed to do, in this case it is get on with our exit from the EU.

And let us not forget that if it was not for UKIP, we would never have had the referendum which was won by the 17.4 million voters. These are now being ignored by elements of the established parties who remain in complete denial.

The simple message is – don’t vote for those who oppose the will of the people, vote for those who you can trust. Last June we voted for change. We are still waiting.

Philip Griffiths

North West President, UKIP (UK Independence Party)

POPULATION

Uncertainty over food

Whatever the causes of global warming, and notwithstanding our good intentions on the reduction of emissions, there can be little doubt that we face significant risk of disruption to our food supplies in this century. To prepare for this, the focus of our policies on welfare, migration and overseas aid should be to encourage and facilitate a rapid transition to zero population growth.

It was with some concern then that I heard of a DfID scheme in which eligibility for assistance depends upon the recipient being pregnant. The Brexit vote was supposed to be a wake-up call, but the sleepwalking goes on. Mrs May, get a grip!